Ino-hana
by uchihaotakuhime
Summary: NaruIno. [On-going] Despite the rain, the sun keeps the flower warm. And so, the flower grows.


_A/N: This was written as a long one-shot for tumblr's Naruto Rare-Pair December 2019 but I ended up with writer's block and now it's January 2020 so now it'll probably be a short multi-chapter. Maybe. Still have writer's block though._

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Maybe it was the champagne. Bubbly and crisp on his tongue, expensive, and never seeming to run low in his fancy glass, he swore it could have been a magic potion.

It might have been the song that had been playing, hypnotizing and cathartic - though if you asked Naruto what the name of the song was, he wouldn't have remembered. The reception was reaching its last hours, with only the members of the bridal party and a few of their closest friends scattered throughout the tables, drunk on love and alcohol. Sai and Sakura were still dancing slowly, her head cradled in the crook of his neck, lost in their own world.

Maybe it was the coma all the amazingly catered food had put him in. He sat sprawled on the chair, the tattooed ink on his abdomen stretching across his distended gut. He had already loosened the button on his dress pants, the top buttons of his dress shirt, and the emerald green bow tie around his neck, and his uncomfortable belt was lost somewhere under the tables. It was the closest he'd ever felt to an Akimichi, and he meant that as a compliment.

Or maybe it was all the sake Tsunade herself had ordered for the wedding, which burned his belly with a fire that left even Kurama dizzy. His whiskered cheeks were flushed, and despite the heaviness in his head and his eyelids, he sat drifting on the edge of sleep with a lopsided grin on his face. A stray tuft of blond hair had settled in the middle of his forehead, escaping the meticulously gelled hairstyle he had been forced to wear.

All he knew in that moment was that he was at a loss for words as the realization dawned on him.

Ino was beautiful.

He had turned to her, about to ask her if the reason why Chouji was so happy all the time was because of all the food he ate because he could totally relate and if they would let him be an honorary member of their clan, when the edges of his vision blurred suddenly and he could only focus on her.

It could have been the glow of the small lights strung throughout the ceiling, reflecting off the different cuts of crystal from their champagne glasses, casting prisms on her face. Or maybe the garlands and wreaths of flowers she chose herself decorating the room in a multitude of colors, which also bathed them in an aroma reminiscent of the Yamanaka flower shop. Maybe it was the smells surrounding them that had him spellbound. The scent of the candle on their table mixed with the sugary sweetness of the forgotten wedding cake on her plate, and when he shifted his position just so, he could catch the tantalizing smell of her perfume lingering on her skin.

Then again, it might have been all of the above.

Ino's eyes, which always seemed to change color, were a pale aquamarine against the emerald gown that clung to her like a second skin. Her eyes were swimming with unshed tears as she watched the newlyweds. Shiny, platinum hair cascaded down her shoulders, back, and hips, one side daintily pinned behind one ear by a flower, one that he probably should have known the name of by now. She had her chin resting on the palm of one hand, leaning on that elbow at the edge of the table. Her skin seemed to illuminate in the soft, hazy ambient light, defining a sharp collarbone and shoulder, her lean arm tracing a path for his eyes up to the point of her chin and her lips. They had been a shiny, deep ruby at the start of the wedding. But after the meal and countless drinks, they had softened into a red stain, matching the lighter shade dusting her cheeks, and her bottom lip was tucked under a row of white teeth as she tried to stop it from quivering.

She had been by his side the whole night, in his life practically his whole life, and only now he was just realizing it.

Admittedly, he had never been anything close to a genius, but he wasn't blind either. She had been one of the most attractive girls growing up and he grew up listening to other guys say how hot she was all the time.

And she was, it's just that Sakura had always been his number one. His first love.

Probably always would be, it felt like.

But now, Sakura was getting married, and they had finally resolved the feelings between them. What she felt for him was nothing more than love for a brother and he came to terms with himself that she would always love him, but only in that way. Undoubtedly, he would still go to the ends of the earth for her and would kill anyone who tried to harm or hurt her.

Which is what he told Sai.

But even Naruto could tell that Sai cherished her. It had been Sakura who helped Sai understand and explore his emotions, gradually and each step of the way, after all. It had been Sakura who Sai had opened his heart to, discovered what it meant to love another person. And it had been Sai who had seen Sakura for who she was, in her entirety, and acknowledged her for it, loved her for it, and treated her like the woman she was and deserved — something Sasuke had never done. Something Naruto once thought he could do for her, but found and accepted, that it wasn't what Sakura needed from him.

He had never seen Sakura happier. And that, he learned, was what he truly ever wanted for her.

He saw the tender look on her face now, the happy pink blush on her cheeks, safe and secure in Sai's arms, and he smiled to himself.

The fact that Ino had wanted that for Sakura too probably gave them that initial connection and most likely was what made them so compatible and click so easily, especially since he had spent a lot of time with Ino lately. As the maid-of-honor and best man, she had dragged him around, helping Sakura meticulously plan the wedding. She was even bossier then Sakura, but Sakura and Ino together were a force that no one wanted to mess with. And though he had whined and complained initially to Shikamaru about it, Naruto respected the determination Ino had to ensure that Sakura got the fairy-tale wedding she deserved. He had gotten used to her presence around him, and by this point, she practically had him trained to do her bidding with just the tone of her sharp voice.

Just taking the sight of her and merely being in her presence overwhelmed his senses, and in his limited vocabulary, there was no other word for her in that moment.

She was just that - simply beautiful.

He almost had to slap himself before he blurted it out loud.

It was an epiphany.

He was caught dumbstruck at the information that flooded in, his primitive brain switching the light on and off in his mind like, _Ino. Girl. Ino. Like? Ino. Pretty?_ Kurama was rolling his eyes at him.

A sniffle interrupted the churning of the wheels in his head, and his eyes flickered to her again, his expression softening as he saw her try to be subtle about holding in her sob. He gave a small snort.

That's what he liked the most, he decided. Her ability to feel every emotion under the sun and soak in the people and moments around her.

Naruto draped his arm around her chair and leaned forward. She looked a little surprised at the contact as he stole her from her thoughts, but he was equally surprised at his actions. She blinked up at him as he leaned down and whispered in her ear, "Stop being such a crybaby, Ino." He'd heard Shikamaru say that to her countless times, which almost always resulted in a well-aimed smack to the shoulder, but she didn't make any move to attack him.

Ino sniffed again, patting the bottom of her eyes carefully as not to ruin her makeup, before she straightened up and leaned into his side. "I'm just so happy for her." She allowed him to rub the side of her arm, leaving a trail of goosebumps following his fingertips.

"We both are," he agreed.

"She's all grown up," Ino continued in a teary voice that made her seem even more small and vulnerable than she actually was. "And most importantly, she's happy. And he makes her happy."

Naruto leaned a cheek against her hair, humming his agreement.

"I'm just so happy for her," she repeated, her breath catching in her throat. He was a little shocked to feel her press her face against him, but he gave her another reassuring squeeze.

"Hey."

She turned her face up at him, seeing the lights dancing in the reflection of his eyes.

"Wanna dance?"

"Just us?"

"We gotta make this moment last. It would mean a lot to Sakura." He gestured towards the happy couple. "It seems like she doesn't want this night to end."

"It would, wouldn't it?"

Naruto helped her up from the chair, keeping her hand in his as he led her towards the dance floor. "Except," he admitted sheepishly, as he spun her in a dramatic, uneven circle, "I don't know how to dance."

Ino laughed, even as he brought her back close to him. "This is fine." She kept her head against his chest, and they found their own rhythm, swaying from side to side.

They stayed until the wee hours of the morning, making sure the venue was cleaned up and that Sakura and Sai were sent off to their honeymoon properly. Naruto complained that he was hungry again, and she retorted that it was probably just the alcohol churning the acid in his stomach. But she relented and had a cheeseburger with him when he dragged her to the only open restaurant in the village where they stayed up longer, talking and laughing as he dodged the fries she threw at him when he made fun of her.

Maybe it was the smell of her hair or the warmth of her soft skin under his palm, but he found himself walking her home. And when she said good night, she had kissed him on the cheek, her smile burning into his memory as he tried to fall asleep.

Maybe it was all of the above, but then again, maybe it was just the champagne.


End file.
